A brief conclusion to the book of Malachi and the entire Old Testament - and a hope for the Sun of Righteousness to come forth and shine upon the world. This was our final week in Malachi and the first week of the Advent season.
Full Trust in the LORD
It all boils down to this: will you trust God?
This was what God wanted from His people from the very beginning - and it's His complaint to His people at the very end of the Old Testament. They have not trusted Him. They have not been an obedient son. Yet, God gave them a promise that a better Son was coming to serve the Father perfectly, on their behalf.
Care for the Community
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God. The second goes with it - to love others. In the message from Malachi, God had addressed first how Israel has not loved Him, then He went on to address their lack of love toward one another. They had not loved their own wives and families well, and that lack of concern for others spilled out to other parts of the community as well; the orphans, widows, and foreigners. All of this stemmed from their apathy toward God and His ways. How could they turn back to God and His love? Better yet - How can you and I deal with our own apathy toward God and His ways?
God's Unmet Love
Malachi is the last prophetic book of the Old Testament, before a 400 year period of silence, until finally another prophet named John would come to get everyone ready for the coming Messiah.
In these parting words from the Lord, He reminds the people through Malachi that He has loved them, that He still loves them, and that He will always love them. But where is there love and honor for Him? Their hearts have grown cold. Their worship apathetic. As we hear these words spoken to Israel long ago, do we also find a message that can be spoken to us today?